The Fretts on Film Interview: “Sons of Anarchy” Edition

September 11, 2012

It’s the night SAMCRO fans have long been waiting for: the Season 5 premiere of FX’s motorcycle-gang drama Sons of Anarchy. But if you want to see two of its stars—Charlie Hunnam (Jax) and Ron Perlman (Clay)—in very different roles, check out 3…2…1..Frankie Go Boom, an indie comedy that’s now available on VOD in advance of its theatrical release.

Hunnam plays the title role, a writer whose career keeps getting sidetracked by his fresh-out-of-rehab brother, David (Bridesmaids‘ Chris O’Dowd). When a sex tape featuring Frankie and the alcoholic daughter (Bachelorette‘s Lizzy Caplan) of a washed-up TV star (Chris Noth) gets released, high jinks ensue. That includes a visit with David’s former cellmate, a transsexual played by Perlman, who brings new meaning to beauty and the beast.

When I interviewed Hunnam for Emmy Magazine last year, we discussed Frankie—and the surprising way in which Perlman became involved. “I signed on to do this tiny little comedy film—we did it for literally $400,000,” recalled Hunnam. “I just fell in love with the script. After playing so many tough guys and dramatic characters, I thought it’d be fun to switch gears and experiment a bit with comedy, so I signed on.”

Soon afterwards, so did Perlman. “There was a role of a transsexual who spends a period of the film trying to seduce me, and obviously I immediately thought of Ron,” Hunnam joked. “So we offered it to him. And I thought he would just call me and say, ‘Yeah, it’s a really funny script, but you’re out of your mind.’ But instead he said, ‘I’ve always wanted to play a woman!'”

The shoot proved to be a hoot. “It was really fun,” he said. “Because we were used to a certain dynamic together and to be able to completely flip that up was a lot of fun.” I only wish watching the movie was as much as fun as making it was. For a movie with such an explosive premise—and title—3…2…1…Frankie Go Boom ultimately fizzles.

But when Perlman shows up nearly an hour into this 88-minute farce as a rat-eating computer whiz renamed Phyllis who offers to show off his amputated phallus, you can’t help but chuckle. Frankie could’ve used more of that kind of comic anarchy.